Something Wicca This Way Comes
by lerathegreat
Summary: The Charmed Ones come to New Orleans in order to help the witches of the city to regain their powers. While the older sisters try to figure out who they can trust and who they should fight against, the youngest, Peyton, tries to make a similar decision about a particular Original vampire who is fascinated with her power. Kol/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hi, everyone!

There are a couple of things I need to get clear before you begin reading. First of all, I am Russian and English is my second language. The reason I write fanfiction in English is that I cannot get the right atmosphere in my mind when I try to do it in Russian. I am sorry for all the mistakes you will see in this fic, and I want to ask for some help: if you could indicate my errors in spelling and grammar and point out the places that sound odd for a native English speaker, I would be enormously thankful! Second of all, this is going to be a crossover between Charmed and The Originals, but I never watched the third season of TO and I don't really like the story with Hailey and many other things in the TV show, and I watched it a very long time ago. So, this is probably going to be a very strong AU in terms of the both universes. Be careful. I'm going to use some basic events and characters, but it may become a very different story. Thirdly, I don't like Kolvina at all. That is why I decided to make a fic with Kol and another witch, because I love Kol. Honestly, I skipped almost all Kolvina scenes in season 2, sorry. And in my story Kol is a vampire, he was never killed (because he couldn't be so easily killed! He is an Original, people, how could you write that?). And the last, but not the least: I made some major changes in the Charmed part. There is no Phoebe as we know her (but I can introduce her later, but not as a Charmed One), Piper has Phoebe's powers (I think it makes more sense because she never wanted to have much to do with demons and all these things but somehow her powers are the most offensive and strong, let's give her a break) and I needed my OC to have an active power (without that she would not survive in the situations I'm going to put her). So, our new sister's name is Peyton and in terms of character and style I picture her as a happier version of Peyton from One Tree Hill (hence the name), but with a different appearance: in my mind she has straight brown hair and brown eyes as most of the Halliwells.

I guess this is it. Enjoy the story!

* * *

"… _Welcome to New Orleans! On behalf of American Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day!"_

"Have a nice day! How thoughtful of them", Piper murmured to herself more than to her sisters. It was certainly not a nice day. They did not have a singe nice day in over three months since they had discovered their powers. The only days she thought were more or less fine were the days when Leo came to visit their place to fix something. Sometimes she would deliberately break a thing or two in the house so that they could call Leo once again. Something she would never tell her sisters about. They probably knew already, but she couldn't admit that. She was too embarrassed but Leo was the only person who made her feel alright after a fight with a demon and only with him she was not afraid. Leo probably knew about the way he made Piper feel, but was too shy to make a comment about that. She never even kissed her. Maybe it was too early for them. Piper gave a deep sigh. Leo would certainly not be able to come visit them to fix anything in their temporary home in New Orleans. So, she would be constantly uncomfortable and afraid for the next couple of months. She still didn't know why they agreed to go in this city in the first place.

"Tell me once again, why are we doing this?"

"Because that's what good witches do. We help the innocent. And we should help other witches when they need our help. They would probably do the same for us," Prue was the oldest of the sisters and she could always make a point that would be impossible to argue about. After the death of their mother and then they Grams, Prue took it as her main responsibility to take care about her sisters. They never made a lot of trouble – definitely Piper never did – but Prue cared about her sisters a great deal and never left their side.

"Besides, New Orleans is an interesting place, isn't it? You always wanted to learn some African recipes, and here you can find just any kind of cuisine. Just find some cooking class you can take while Prue is at work and I do my research into their Creole dialects," the youngest of three sisters – Peyton – added closing her book on sociolinguistics.

"Yeah, and when are we going to help our fellow witches?"

"It's not like we couldn't handle our lives in San Francisco and kill a couple of demons at the same time," Prue's whisper sounded convincing, but the sisters knew it could not be that easy.

"Although ordinary demons is not something you should be worried about here. That would be nice to have a break of them for a couple of months just to get used to our powers and not fighting someone who wants to steal them. The Book of Shadows says that New Orleans is not demon's favorite resort. Too many vampires, you know? They do not get along, as far as I understood," Peyton was the one who was obsessed with the Book of Shadows. It seemed like she knew every line in it by heart. Piper thought that it made Peyton feel a connection to their mother who she basically never knew. She was too little when Penny died and it made Peyton feel bad each time her sisters mentioned their mother, but since they got their powers, Peyton cheered up a little.

"You sound like it is a good thing. Vampires have supernatural speed, and claws, and fangs, and most demons don't. How are you going to fight something you cannot see because it is too fast?"

"They do not have claws, Piper," said Peyton and added with a reassuring smile: "And I can freeze them, remember?" Peyton and Prue had active powers: Peyton could freeze things and Prue could move them. Piper had premonitions. Sometimes she felt as if Peyton pitied her – she loved the fact that her power was active, and thought that Piper would want something like that too, but it definitely was not the case. Piper knew that it's usually the active powers that demons go after, and she did not want to be the one fighting them. She was afraid that her sisters might get hurt, but the supernatural world made her sick. Prue and Peyton were much braver and confident when it came to magic.

* * *

"So, what's the address?"

"Decatur Street," Prue probably had the best memory out of the three sisters when it came to names and places. No wonder, considering her job. She had to remember lots of facts.

"Isn't that one of the streets near the river? That must be a lovely place." Peyton certainly was excited, and that is not something you see often. She was usually very calm and almost never showed her emotions. She rarely travelled, but she loved new places, just never had a chance to visit many of them. Every morning she would go to Google maps to walk online in some part of the Earth she had never visited. Her sacred wish was to travel the world and learn more about languages and their extinct dialects. "Should I find us a cab? Can't wait to get there!"

"She shouldn't be so enthusiastic about that. This whole trip can be very dangerous," Prue was definitely worried.

"Peyton can take care of herself. She always finds a way out of bad situations, remember? And I haven't seen her that excited in a long time."

* * *

The house they were staying in was beautiful. It was not so spacious as the Halliwell mansion, but still had enough space for the three of them. It was certainly situated in one of the oldest parts of the city and even of the French Quarter, and it smelt with magic. Peyton loved that. It reminded her about their home. She knew they had to put protection spells on the house, but they still didn't know whether they could do magic in New Orleans. A witch from New Orleans – Sophie Deveraux – contacted them right after they got their powers. She wrote a letter to them where she briefly explained the situation the witches were put in: they could not do their magic because vampires controlled the city. Peyton could not understand why this would happen: vampires, according to the Book of Shadows, were primitive creatures. They only craved for blood and they could be easily killed. How would witches allow these disgusting creatures treat themselves like that? Peyton knew that her knowledge of the supernatural world was limited, but she also knew that she possessed a great power. Prue thought that other witches were not as strong as them – and that is why Sophie had to contact them – the Charmed Ones were the only one who could take the vampires in the city down. Peyton hoped that if they succeed they would show the New Orleans witches that it is in their power to live their lives as they wish.

"So, should we contact Sophie right away or should we spend some time unpacking?" Piper stood with her suitcase with a doubt on her face.

Prue came from upstairs and help her sister with her things. She would use her telekinetic power but she was not sure whether she was allowed to do that in that city. "I think we should rest a little. What do you think? We could call her tomorrow first thing in the morning. We still have the weekends before I go to work and Peyton begins her classes at the local university."

"Good idea!" Peyton put her book on the small table in the hall and took her coat.

"Where are you going?" Prue furrowed her brows and made a step towards the door.

"Oh, don't be overprotective again. Nobody here knows I'm a witch yet. And I can always pretend to be a tourist. You know I can do a couple of accents that sound very convincing. And if anything goes wrong, I will freeze everyone around and run back here. I want to see the city before we will get to business."

Peyton gave a small smile to her sisters, looked in the mirror, adjusted her hair and ran out of the house before her sisters could stop her.

"We shouldn't have taken her here. She was never afraid of the things she should be afraid of," Piper seemed as she could begin to cry. She was scared and she had no control over her younger sister. She was a grown-up now, a very stubborn grown-up who believed that her magic could save her any time and who didn't want to be controlled by anyone. Sometimes Piper thought that she didn't really know her younger sister. She was very independent and not very talkative in Piper's opinion.

"You know that we had to come here together. We need the Power of Three."

* * *

"The Charmed Ones?"

Silence felt upon the living room of the Mikaelson mansion. Klaus put down his glass of bourbon, Elijah furrowed his brows and Kol stood up from his seat with an excited look on his face.

Sophie Deveraux just broke the latest news to the Original family. The Charmed Ones were in town.

"Yes, all three of them. The witches of the world knew that they got their powers on the Spring Equinox day – Ostara in the Wiccan tradition. I wrote them a letter the moment I knew and asked them for help. They needed time to get used to the supernatural world and now they are finally here."

"How long have they had their powers? The rumor was that their grandmother blocked them when they were children," Elijah tried to remember the stories he heard about the most powerful witches in the world.

"That's true. They only have their powers for a couple months. Witches say that they already vanquished some pretty powerful demons, and they are getting better with their magic very fast."

"You don't need to be a genius to use that powerful magic. Wiccan magic is very strong and easy to use. In a couple of years they would be able to kill with a single flick of their fingers, if all the prophecies are true," Klaus looked as if he was a little child who was given as a present a new robot of the last generation. Something no one else had. He knew he had to make the Charmed Ones his toys. No, his magical slaves. It would make him even more powerful than he already was.

"Even now their powers would be very helpful to us. Marcel won't be able to track them. He certainly doesn't know much about Wiccan magic, and they are already very strong," Sophie was glad she came up with a brilliant idea to get the Charmed on her side.

"Do they know they can do magic here? What did you tell them?" Elijah already had a lot of questions to ask and a couple of schemes to try.

"They do not know anything. I will talk to them tomorrow."

"You'd better take one of us with you," Klaus made a step forward.

"No, I won't. They will not believe a vampire. That is something I am sure of. They should think about you as of some low-level demons."

Klaus made a quiet growl. "We are not low-level demons. We are Original vampires!"

"They do not know it yet. I will tell them as much as they need for now: a nasty vampire named Marcel wants to have the city for himself and uses a witch to punish every practicing witch in town. They will want to help. They already want to help. They will give us freedom and they will end Marcel's reign. Then they will go back to San Francisco and you will do whatever you want while we can practice our magic again."

"Nothing ever goes that smooth, dear Sophie. What makes you think that the Charmed Ones won't decide to kill the oldest and most dangerous family of vampires? Wiccan magic is all about good and pure things, they will not settle for such an agreement. They will probably want to get rid of all the vampires here," Klaus made his point.

"I didn't know you were afraid of witches, brother," Elijah said with a smile on his face.

"They are not ordinary witches, you know that," Klaus hissed.

Sophie turned to the door and said determinately: "They must not know about your existence. Make sure of that. They will do what we need and then leave, if you do not mess with our plan."

With that she closed the door and left the Original brothers alone. Both Klaus and Elijah realized that there was one person who could ruin their plan with his fascination with witchcraft. This very person had disappeared the moment before Sophie closed the door.

"Kol," – the two Originals said in unison.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.**


	2. Chapter 2

Peyton walked from the Mississippi River towards the heart of the French Quarter breathing in the fresh air. She already liked this city. The historic buildings around her almost screamed that New Orleans had a long and rich history. Peyton had a degree in linguistics, so she definitely wanted to know more about the people of New Orleans. The city used to be the meeting point of two cultures – Francophone Creole and Anglophone American. The people who lived here must speak very differently from what she was used to. Peyton had a meeting at the Department of Linguistics of Tulane University. She enrolled in the university as a special student for the Sociolinguistics classes for the time she and her sisters would be in New Orleans. As Peyton loved the city from the first sight, she thought she could stay there and do her Master's there, but she also knew that her sisters must always be by her side. They had to fight demons together, and for that they have to be able to come to help each other any minute.

The sisters didn't know much about their powers yet. Piper could never have her premonitions when she wanted to have them. It seemed as if her power decided whether she needed it or not. For Prue and Peyton it was a little bit easier: they could use their powers any time, _in theory_ , but in fact it was Prue who could use telekinesis whenever she needed to protect herself and her sisters. Peyton still felt awkward and unsure when she used her freezing power. It usually worked when she was scared, but she couldn't use it when she tried to freeze a fly or anything else what was not a demon. That made Peyton upset, but Prue always told her that it takes time to learn how to use her powers. Prue was the quickest learner probably due to her age and the fact that she should be the strongest of all three, as the oldest sister, and she possessed the strongest power. They all had their strengths: Piper could make potions, something that both Prue and Peyton hated to do, and Peyton was good at writing spells. The sisters did not have many opportunities to cast them, as they only encountered several demons as for now, but each time they used a potion or a spell, it worked. Piper thought it was pure luck, but Prue and Peyton knew that, as the Charmed Ones, they had to succeed. They were the strongest witches alive, something that made them laugh occasionally, but they felt that they possessed great powers. The powers that any supernatural creature would want to have.

The streets became narrower as Peyton got closer to the center of the French Quarter. Crowds of tourists filled the city in the evening. It seemed as if the whole city celebrated something, although it was an ordinary Friday night in New Orleans. Peyton had a notebook in her hands. She never kept a diary, but she always had a notebook with her to write down things she wanted to remember. She never wrote in full sentences, only short phrases or just words, but now she didn't feel like writing. She wanted to be in the crowd, she wanted to enjoy her first night in New Orleans. She put the notebook in her leather black backpack and smiled to herself. She knew she would love it here. Peyton took her phone out to text her sisters that she was fine. They would be worried, as usual, but they also thought that Peyton was smart and careful. She was, indeed, but you never know how careful you should be in New Orleans.

* * *

"What have I missed, dear brother? Nick?" Rebekah was still angry at Klaus for stabbing her once again, but when Elijah called her and asked to come in New Orleans, she gladly agreed. Rebekah loved the city just as much as her brothers did. That was a special place for the Mikaelson family.

"Not much. Marcel has taken over the city and controls witches so they can't do witchcraft anymore," Klaus sounded casual but he knew what effect his words must have on Rebekah.

"Marcel?" The youngest Original looked at the other brother with her eyes wide open.

"Yes, Rebekah, he is alive. He managed to trick us all. Now he has the city and he wants to have a vampire army to control it. He is building an empire," Elijah said and gave his sister a glass of bourbon she clearly needed at the moment.

"What do you want to do?"

"Take our city back, of course. Marcel has no right to claim it for himself. This is something _we_ built, and it must be ours," Klaus said in a low, but threatening voice.

"How are you going to do that? There are only three of us."

"There's also Kol."

"Oh, I'm surprised you haven't daggered him yet."

"He may be very useful at the time of war," Elijah took another sip of bourbon.

"Is it a _war_ already?"

"For witches and vampires in town it is definitely a war. They cannot stand each other. Marcel should have never made witches his enemies."

"Why? You said he manages to control them."

"For now. They asked the Charmed Ones to come to assist them."

"The Charmed Ones?" Rebekah's mouth dropped and her eyes softened. " _Melinda's_ descendants?"

"Yes, dear sister, the strongest witches of all times came to New Orleans," Klaus's eyes were definitely not as soft as his sister's, but he had the same admiration in them.

"Melinda said they would eliminate all the evil in the world…" Rebekah's voice was distant when she tried to remember the witch's words.

"Shouldn't that include us as well?" Elijah nervously walked across the room towards the balcony.

"They should not know about us. Even if they do, we are almost immortal. And they are human. One neck snap – and they are gone," Klaus had his ways of dealing with things.

"Do not touch them. It will cause the Hell on Earth," Rebekah had a threatening vibe in her voice.

"Don't be so naïve, little sister. They will be of great assistance to us and our little witchy friends in there, and then they will go back home to fight whatever demons walk the earth. There are no demons in New Orleans, they will not be interested in staying or messing with us, if we do not show them our true faces," Klaus didn't want his sister to know about his real plans for witches. Not yet.

"Something that is very difficult to do if you have Kol as a relative," Rebekah added with concern.

"I can handle him. He will behave for the time that they spend here," Elijah took his sister's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I hope so."

* * *

Peyton bought a guide to the city of New Orleans and looked for a place that she could be interested in. More than anything, Peyton loved music and books. All the bookstores would be closed at this time, so she decided to go with music. The best choice seemed to be _Bullet's Bar_ where Kermit Ruffins – a famous jazzman from New Orleans – would play with his band from time to time. Peyton was not a fan of jazz, but this was definitely a must-see in New Orleans. She quickly called Piper to inform her that she would go to see a band playing and asked them to come, but both her sisters were too concerned with what they had to do and decided to stay and look for something useful in the Book of Shadows. Peyton knew the book from cover to cover, so she just shrugged and put the phone back in her pocket briefly saying "Good night".

Peyton wished she knew someone in the city to show her around. She hated to be on her own. At the same time, she did not like being in a loud company of people. She preferred being in the crowd, but with just a couple of close friends. Peyton spent most of her time in San Francisco with either books, or her best friend, Brooke. Brooke helped Peyton when she broke up with her boyfriend Jake after a demon tried to attack him. Having a relationship was too dangerous in her position. Somehow demons thought that boyfriends were more important than friends, so they never tried to touch Brooke, but Peyton had been permanently worried about her. It was just a matter of time while the supernatural world knew how close she was to her friend. After Peyton broke up with Jake, she knew she should keep her distance from Brooke as well, but she couldn't. That is why now she was calling her best friend. She just wanted to hear her voice.

"Hi, Halliwell! How is New Orleans?"

"You would love it, Brooke. Although people here are not as fashionable as you would like them to be."

"Then you must look as a rock star there. I hope you are not wearing your ripped jeans right now, are you?"

"Turn off the fashion police mode and tell me how things are going," Peyton looked at her skinny black jeans ripped at knees and awkwardly laughed. While Brooke loved to look as a celebrity at the red carpet, Peyton preferred grunge and vintage. Everyone agreed that it suited her. Brooke just had a habit of teasing her friend.

"You left today in the morning, darling, nothing has really changed. I've got a date in an hour. He is incredibly hot! Where are you heading now, by the way? I hear lots of voices. Are your sisters with you?"

"I am going to listen to a band at one of the local famous jazz bars. Prue and Piper have decided to stay and unpack, and I wanted to see the city," Peyton felt a little bad for not telling her friend what was the real reason why her sister had not joined her, but she knew it was for the best.

"Peyton, not everything is about music. You don't even like jazz! Try to find a hot guy and have a good night there. You should have a holiday fling!"

"Not everything is about guys, Brooke," Peyton mimicked her friend, "And I am not on holiday, by the way. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye-bye! Remember to find yourself a hottie!"

Sometimes Peyton could not understand why she was a friend with Brooke. They were clearly the opposites. Brooke was easy-going and always ready to have fun, while Peyton was much more reserved and kept everything inside. She liked to laugh and she liked attention from time to time, but most of the time she just wanted to read books on linguistics and listen to her favorite bands, which Brooke hated, by the way. But it was Brooke who made Peyton cross her boundaries, and Peyton liked it. When Peyton broke up with Jake, she couldn't stop crying, and even her sisters could not help. After three weeks of unstoppable depression, Brooke came to her house and took Peyton out of her bed. She had tickets to a _White Lies_ show – she knew Peyton loved that kind of music. Something Brooke would never listen on her own will, but he could make a sacrifice for one evening when her friend needed help. At the show Brooke somehow managed to introduce Peyton to a nice guy who was clearly into the same music as Peyton. This night Peyton spent a night with a stranger for the first time in her life, but that is what exactly she needed at the moment, and Brooke was the one to arrange that. She knew that in order to forget your first love (even if it wasn't the biggest love of your life) you had to distract yourself with someone else. Piper and Prue would kill her for that, but Peyton was already a big girl. She had really changed since she was 19 when she started her relationship with Jake. Now she was 22 and she knew she could do anything she wanted.

That is why at the middle of the night she was not at the house, but in the _Bullet's Bar_. It was overcrowded, as she had expected, so she managed to find a seat only at the bar. She ordered a glass of Frangelico – the only alcohol she could drink – and shifted in her chair. She noticed a mirror behind the bartender and looked at herself: long brown hair, big brown eyes and fair skin – some of the Halliwells' typical traits. Her shoulders and chest were too skinny for her liking, but her hips were fine. She wore a David Bowie t-shirt and a black cardigan. Not the best look for trying to talk to a random guy. She would probably stick with listening to music. She can talk to people some other time. Or she should ask Brooke to come here. Brooke would not like the city, probably, but she was always willing to help. Especially when it came to Peyton's inability to get in contact with people on her own.

Peyton looked at the stage trying to decide whether she like the music or not – her relationship with jazz were clearly complicated – when her attention was attracted by a handsome stranger who took a seat beside her at the bar. He ordered a glass of bourbon and listened to the music for a couple of minutes before he turned his head towards her and gave her a charming smile.

"Have you heard them playing before? It's one of the best bands I've heard in my lifetime," he said and made Peyton blush.

It was going to be an interesting evening.

* * *

 **So, I've not yet decided who this stranger could be. It is either Kol or one of Marcel's vampires. What do you think? ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

It was oddly quiet at the _Rousseau's_ bar on that Friday evening. If he would come here for any other cause, like entertaining himself with a random girl or looking for a blood meal, he would certainly go to a different place. But this time Kol Mikaelson did not came to the bar to feed. He needed to talk to Sophie Deveraux privately. Kol did not trust the young witch and was almost sure she could ruin his plans.

Sophie stood at the bar as he approached her. She did not flinch but he could see that he made her uncomfortable.

"Why have you followed me?" she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Isn't it impolite not to offer a friend a drink first?" Kol gave her a teasing smile. "How about rum? I love celebrating with rum."

"What exactly are you celebrating? As far as I'm concerned, you are not interested in taking the city back from Marcel. Isn't feeding and killing the only things on your mind?" Sophie's voice was shaking because of the proximity of the deadliest Mikaelson but she tried to compose herself.

"No, no, no. On the contrary, dear Sophie, I am concerned about the well-being of witches and this city more than about anything else. Certainly more than my brothers could ever be."

"'Cause your brothers' only concerns are Hailey and power. They do not seem to be interested in anything else. That works for me just fine."

"I do not care about this werewolf girl and her child. Werewolves are boring. Just as much as all this fighting for power. Everyone knows that in the end it is out family who will reign in the city. With your help and the help of the Charmed Ones, we will come to that very soon. Where are they, dear Sophie? I was dying to see the Charmed Ones since I knew they would be born. Let me meet them." Kol bent forward so that Sophie would look him right in the eyes.

"No, this is too dangerous. I should speak to them before you, vampires, screw everything up." She was too brave for a witch who could not do magic.

"I imagine you won't be able to do that with your throat ripped apart." Kol's voice was soft and low, but his eyes were daggering Sophie making her hold her breath.

"If you kill me, Hailey dies." That was the last leverage for Sophie to use in a situation like that.

"You already know that I do not care about Nik's one night stand consequences. Let me see them."

"They would not talk to a vampire. Not yet. They have never seen one. The only intention they would have when they see you is to kill you immediately. Everyone knows that vampires cannot be innocents. You only spread fear and death."

"Then do not tell them who I am. Can't I pretend to be a human? Or a werewolf? These abominations somehow have better reputation in the supernatural world." Kol said with a look of disgust.

"I still do not think it will work. Listen, I know how much you are obsessed with witchcraft. Everyone supernatural in this city wants to meet the Charmed Ones, but you also know that they are not strong enough yet. They are not ready. They do not know a thing about our world. They even do not know much about demons they are supposed to fight! How do you think they will react? Let me introduce them to this world. To our world. Give me some time to prepare them."

Kol did not know why he listened to the annoying witch. Probably because he had been waiting to meet the Charmed Ones for so many years, for _centuries_. Now they had their powers, but it happened too fats, and he did not have a plan. He needed them by his side, just as his brother would want to have them for himself. The whole deal needed to be approached very carefully, and although Kol was the most impulsive out of his siblings, he was not a fool. He could wait a little longer, watching the little witches from afar.

"Good. Do not tell them anything about our family yet. You may tell them you have powerful friends willing to help to take Marcel down who they should meet very soon." With that Kol disappeared as if he had never been there.

Sophie let out a relieved sign. She did not notice she was holding her breath for so long. Kol Mikaelson was famous for his love and concern for witches but everyone knew that he was not the one to be trusted.

* * *

" _Have you heard them playing before? It's one of the best bands I've heard in my lifetime"._

Peyton gave the stranger a subtle smile. "I am not a fan of jazz, actually. Post-punk is more my thing." She shrugged with a smile.

"I have all Bowie's vinyl records." He said pointing to her shirt making Peyton shift uncomfortably in her seat as he took a lingering look at her body. "His "Serious Moonlight Tour" was great. I remember it as if it was yesterday.".

""Serious Moonlight Tour? Is it the one after "Let's dance came out?" Were you even born at the time?" The stranger did not look older than thirty. The food and air in New Orleans must be really good for one's health.

"My parents took me with them. I still remember him performing "Space Oddity" that night. The rest of the evening is a little bit hazy in my memory". He had a soft smile and beautiful blue eyes. Peyton loved guys with blue eyes.

"I would kill to go to his show. Never had a chance. My sisters are not big fans of music, and they wouldn't let me go to his performance when he was in San Francisco. Thought it was too dangerous."

"A regular jazz band evening in New Orleans can be just as dangerous as a huge show in California." Peyton was not sure whether he tried to warn her or teased her. Probably the latter.

"I can take care of myself." Peyton said not as confidently as she wanted it to sound, but with a warm feeling inside: her powers can always protect her.

"Don't be so sure. You never know in this city." He still smiled at her charmingly but Peyton had a strange feeling that this guy knew something she did not. She tried to push all the bad thoughts away: she was at a bar, listening to jazz, surrounded by nice people and a handsome stranger sat right beside her.

The rest of the night went not as interesting as her chat with the stranger. They listened to music and ordered a couple of drinks but it seemed as if they were still each on their own. It calmed Peyton down as she thought that he was not interested in her much and could settle with a little chat, so she began asking the guy questions about him. It always seemed as a good tactics when you made acquaintances with random people in bars. His name turned out to be Chris. He majored in Engineering and used to work at a power station in Minnesota before he came to New Orleans.

"Coming here was a life-changing experience. If you could stay here long enough, you could feel that too."

"I am not making ambitious plans. Some things in San Francisco may be life-changing too… Life there is full of events". Peyton remembered the last demon they vanquished – Abraxas. He was a very scary demon, in Peyton's opinion. She did not like the fact that they all looked differently. That meant more faces in her nightmares. Sometimes she dreamt about Succubus, sometimes about Litvack, sometimes it was Ethros, and now – Abraxas. She gave a loud sigh thinking that she would most certainly prefer dreaming about guys like the stranger beside her.

The band stopped playing and the audience began walking towards the doors. Peyton grabbed her backpack and was about to say goodbye to Chris, but he stopped her, taking her wrist by his hand.

"Do you want me to follow you home? Such a young and attractive girl should not walk home alone at night." He gave probably the brightest smile anyone had ever given to Peyton. But Peyton had never been so naïve. She knew that men would say anything to get your attention. But it was still nice to hear. Chris seemed nice overall. And, no matter how confident her power made her feel, she already knew there were limits to it and she was afraid of some mortals much more than of supernatural things sometimes.

"Having a company would be nice." She suddenly felt very tired and wanted to go home as soon as possible. They had a lot of things to do in the morning.

* * *

"It's one in the morning and she is still not at home. You are the responsible one, Prue, why are you so calm?" Piper crossed her arms at the chest and looked accusingly at her older sister.

"Peyton is a smart girl, Piper. Sometimes it feels as if she is older than both of us. Probably it has to do with the number of lives we all had. Didn't the Book of Shadows say something about getting wiser with every life you have lived?"

"I can't believe you do not care where she is and ramble about some past lives."

"If anything happens to Peyton, she will always be able to run. Something I am very grateful for. Now she has means to protect herself." Prue had an active power that made her confident and she did not know how to explain this feeling to Piper. "It's different when you can fight a demon or a mortal whenever you are in danger. We used to be afraid of men walking after us in dark alleys. Now we are not."

"Easy for you to say. I am still afraid of them. And demons." Piper could not embrace her destiny as a witch as her sisters did when she constantly felt in danger.

"We will not let any harm happen to you. Or Peyton. She is going to be just fine." Prue gave her sister a reassuring smile and took the Book of Shadows out of the suitcase. She tapped lovingly on the cover and placed it on the table beside her. A moment later, when Prue turned her back to the book and took other things out of the suitcase, the book turned the pages and opened somewhere in the beginning.

Piper made a nervous sound and stepped closer to the table. Both sisters were not at all surprised to see what page the Book of Shadows wanted them to read. _"Vampires,"_ both sisters breathed out.

" _Vampires are magically reanimated human corpses which are inhabited by the spirits of the deceased person and who closely resemble the living human they were before the transformation. Vampires feed and survive on the blood of the living, typically on that of humans, and they can also transform other humans into more of their kind with their own blood,*"_ Prue read.

"That's enough!" Piper stepped back in fear. This sounded even worse than any demon they had encountered.

"Piper, you know all this already. Don't be so scared."

"Yes, and I don't want to hear this once again."

"You have to know who you are fighting. If you don't remember such things, you won't be able to win. This city is packed with vampires. We have to know their weaknesses."

"I already know them and I won't be able to use any of them. Heart extraction and decapitation are not exactly my ways of doing things." Piper sounded very nervous.

"Leave it to me, then." Prue was smiling. She was clearly the bravest of them all. "Take some vervain. It's in the kitchen. It will protect you from them."

With that the two sisters went to another room and left the book on the table. Nobody noticed as it turned a couple of pages and stopped. The title said _"The Original Vampires"._

* * *

Peyton was laughing loudly while crossing a square towards a beautiful church. The crowds disappeared from the streets and she and Chris were having a good time together. He seemed nice and knew a lot of jokes that Peyton never heard. He also had a very smooth voice and an undistinguishable accent that made Peyton want to listen to him more.

Chris took her hand and went into a dark alley beside the church.

"What's the name of the church?" Peyton was always interested in historical facts. She should show this place to Prue the next week.

" _St. Patrick's."_

"Is this the one near the Lafayette square?" Peyton remembered the map of the city. It seemed that they already went past her house.

"Yes."

"But the house I'm staying in, it's at the Decatur Street, remember. We should come back." Peyton did not like the fact that she was not at home at this time of night.

"I just wanted to show you _Algiers_. It's the second-oldest neighborhood of New Orleans. It's very nice and refreshing." Something in Chris's voice changed and Peyton did not like it. She pulled her hand out of his and made several steps back.

"I think we'd better go back to the center of the French Quarter. I can go to Algiers another time".

"I don't think you will go there any time soon, darling."

The moment Peyton realized what was happening it was too late. Chris's beautiful blue eyes turned blood-shot red and veins protruded around them. In a second he was right in front of Peyton and he looked exactly as the vampires in the Book of Shadows. Peyton cried out in horror and waved her hands awkwardly making the vampire freeze with his hand around her neck. Peyton made another, weaker cry and ran as fast as she could in the direction of her new house.

A couple of seconds later a loud snap was heard at the Lafayette square. Chris's lifeless body fell to the ground before Kol Mikaelson's feet.

"Such young and inexperienced. Yet powerful. _A perfect combination_ ".

* * *

*This paragraph is taken from the TVD Wiki ( wiki/Vampire) as I am not sure I could write convincingly something that would look as a page from the Book of Shadows in English. Or I was just lazy. Anyway, the passage does not belong to me, it's Wiki's.


	4. Chapter 4

_Two things before you start reading this chapter: 1. The scene at Marcel's loft is taken from the TV show's script entirely. I just really liked it and I wanted to introduce Gia in the story. The story is slow in terms of events, but I need to build some sort of relationship between the main characters before things start to happen. 2. I forgot what was the second thing. Nevermind. Enjoy the first Kol/Peyton scene and let me know if you like the stroy in the reviews. Have a nice day!_

* * *

Last night seemed a nightmare. Peyton did not say a word to her sisters when she came home. She spent some time sitting on the porch and calming herself down before she entered the house. With a lazy yawn she proceeded to the stairs and waved her sisters goodbye. She heard a relieved and tired "good night" and stepped into her room. It was decorated in green and blue colors and that is why she chose this one. It should ease her stress a little. But it never did. Peyton spent a restless night and the next morning all she could think about was the vampire that had attacked her. Her sisters must not know. If they would, they could send her home the next minute out of fear. But they should always stick together. Their strength was in the Power of Three. With this thought, Peyton tried to make herself fall asleep.

Piper always was the one to make breakfast. This time she wasn't in the kitchen in the morning and Peyton was a little surprised not to find the middle sister there. "Where's Piper? Why are you holding the pan? It might be dangerous."

"I guess she needs rest more than we do. She is stressed and is thinking about something that has not even happened yet. I guest she already thinks we won't make it here."

"That's what Piper is all about. She will get used to it. We have," Peyton took a piece of bread with butter and put out a book on the table.

"Did you have a good time yesterday?" Prue did not look at Peyton when she asked that so it made it easier to lie.

"Yes, it was cool! I was at some jazz bar. Just listened to some music and went home. New Orleans seems like any other city. Not much supernatural stuff going on in the streets at night. I thought it would be different".

"I'm glad to hear that. Piper would be happy to know that you can walk here alone and not worry about being attacked by a vampire. That is something I keep telling her but she doesn't believe. I personally do not think a city full of blood-lusting monsters, as they are pictured in the mortals' books, would attract so many tourists."

"Right." Peyton did not feel hungry anymore as she was thinking about Chris. "Should I take the Book of Shadows to Sophie's?"

"No, I don't want anyone to see it. We need to cast protection spells so that nobody can get it. Demons can still sneak around us, even if they do not like New Orleans and vampires. Although I am not sure we can use our powers here without being caught."

"Something tells me that we could." Peyton felt relief when she realized that nobody came to get her after she used her freezing power. It made everything much easier. Well, not much, but it was something.

* * *

Sophie waited for them at _Rousseau's_. It was empty and dark. The place made Peyton uncomfortable at first but Prue seemed to be relaxed and it calmed her sisters down too. The oldest Charmed witch enjoyed her drink while chatting with Sophie about magic. They both did not want to get to the point yet.

"So, witches here practice ancestral magic? What does this mean?" Piper asked sipping her orange juice.

"The city is filled with the spirits of our witch ancestors. The cemetery is the most powerful place for us to get powers from. We cannot leave the city, otherwise we would lose out magic and our family".

"That might be really inconvenient, don't you think?" Piper continued.

"We are used to things being that way."

"Not everyone needs their magic 24/7, Piper. Some witches do not hunt demons." There was a note of jealousy in Prue's tone.

"I guess many witches would kill to get magic as powerful as yours. Wiccan witches have always been the strongest, and you are the most powerful of them all." Sophie sounded upset. She knew that with powers like these she would never let Jane-Anne die. If they were Wiccan, they would not have to sacrifice anyone, they would be powerful enough from the moment of birth till the day they died.

"It is not as good as it sounds. Demons follow us everywhere. They pretend to be human, they trick us, they try to steal our powers… Usually by killing us." Peyton looked at Piper who seemed more and more miserable with each word.

"Creatures here can try to accomplish the same things. You have to be careful."

"We are always careful," Prue finished her drink and said, "Let's get to business. What happened with you and the vampires in town?"

Prue was very perceptive but even she could not sense that Sophie was not thoroughly honest in her monologue.

* * *

Kol listened to every word Sophie and the sisters said. The Deveraux witch did not say a word that was not true. She was actually quiet good in concealing the truth without telling a pure lie. She twisted the facts a little for her advantage – something he himself was really good at. Sophie managed to hide her intention to complete the Harvest ritual and kill Marcel's little witch during it, something the Halliwells would certainly consider too dangerous. She gave a nice description of his family to the witches. They would certainly not believe in fluffy Original vampires, but he knew that their precious Book of Shadows would not mention all the terrible things they had done in the past. Melinda Warren was a good friend to Kol and Rebekah once. The 17th century was the time when Kol and Renekah tried to fight what they were. Kol stayed around powerful witches where he could have fun without killing hundreds of mortals in the process and Rebekah felt safer by his side. Later, when Kol would go insane once again after he would be considered a threat to their family by Klaus, she would flee to Elijah, but she always had more fun with the youngest of the Mikaelson brothers. Melinda Warren knew they were monsters but they also helped her fight demons, so that the most powerful witches, her descendants, would be born years later. Kol had interior motive in this, of course: some demon's blood was thicker than human's and he also wanted to see the Charmed Ones alive. With Melinda or her ancestors dead, it would be impossible.

Hundreds of years later, here he was. Kol listened to their voices, each so different and distinct. Prue was surely the most powerful and the most rational out of the three. She spoke in a reliant manner and never missed a word Sophie said. Piper, on the other hand, was a little absent-minded. She seemed to be somewhere else during the conversation. Kol could sense her fear even when he stood outside the bar. It was better to be careful around her. She would not easily believe a vampire. The third sister, Peyton, the one he saw yesterday, captured his attention more than her two sisters. Prue and Piper were very much readable by the Original vampire. They had a type. He met a lot of witches who resembled them. Prue was just like her ancestor, Melinda, strong, powerful and willing to sacrifice everything in order to fight the evil, and Piper reminded him of another Halliwell witch he met back in the 19th century – scared by the powers, scared by demons, but still determined to do everything to keep her sisters safe. There was always the brave witch and the careful witch. Peyton was somehow different. She was closed, but she spoke her mind openly and asked questions that made Sophie uncomfortable. The sisters might not sense that, but he could hear Sophie's heart beat faster when Peyton would ask her more questions about the nature of the Harvest or Marcel. She certainly did her homework. Now she was nothing like the girl he saw yesterday – naïve, scared and alone. Yesterday it seemed as if she was not comfortable using her power. The sight of this mere shadow of a powerful vampire standing in front of her clearly made her afraid. After vanquishing a couple of demons he could think she would be more determined. Just as her sister Prue was. He sensed potential in the youngest of Halliwells. She just needed guidance. And Kol was the perfect teacher for her.

* * *

"Klaus! What a nice surprise! You are just in time to meet my new potential recruits," Marcel had a wide smile on his face but his mood was undecipherable.

"Marcellus, isn't this a lot for one time? I would probably try to turn one in a week. They need to show that they will not make trouble and that they may be loyal to you," Klaus said and helped himself with a drink from Marcel's bar.

"I am not planning to turn them right away. They have to prove they really want it first. We will be lucky if any of them stays and has a chance to become a vampire."

Marcel went in the middle of the room and looked in the eyes of the recruits Josh had presented to him.

"I know you're all wondering how you got here. Don't worry about that for now. Instead, I want you to think about your lives. Remember when you were a kid, and you felt like anything was possible? Then, you grew up, things didn't turn out like you planned. But still, there was that part inside of you that would dream. Maybe you wanted strength. Maybe you wanted to be a part of something, something bigger than yourselves." Marcel stopped and looked at a young, beautiful and tough-looking girl who looked intrigued. "Maybe you wanted to be a fighter. Have something worth fighting for. Maybe some of you even wanted to live forever. Well, you can have it! All of it. Because that's what being a vampire is all about."

He left the girl and looked right into the eyes of a big, but scared man. "Oh, don't be afraid. What do you have to fear, when you can do this?" He picked up the man and threw him hundreds of feet into the air, where he was caught by Josh, his loyal young vampire, who was standing on the top floor of a nearby barn with an open door. Marcel turned to the rest of the group. "When you leave here, you'll forget this. But somewhere, deep down, you'll know the offer still exists to join me. Be like me. And, only then, will you find your way back here. Because you want it. Because you need it."

As they left, Klaus clapped and smiled widely at the performance he had just witnessed. He did not like the fact that Marcel was recruiting the army, but he would not show that to him. He had his plans too. The plans Marcel should not know about.

Josh was the first to break the silence that appeared after the recruits had left. "My money's on the rocker chick."

"I wouldn't bet on it. We'll be lucky to get one from that group," Marcel sounded skeptical.

"How can you tell? They all seem tough, what are you looking for?"

Marcel walked over to his bar and poured him and Josh a bourbon. "I'm not looking for tough guys, Josh. I'm looking for _warriors_."

Josh rolled his eyes. "What's the difference?"

"A warrior fights for what they believe in. A warrior fights for his _family_ ," Klaus smiled at them and after a moment, Marcel smiled back.

* * *

Tulane University was a set of beautiful buildings in the neighborhood that was, according to Sophie, "almost supernatural-free". Peyton loved the place as soon as she got off the tram and saw it. Green lawns, nice people and old buildings with modern equipment inside – what else do you need?

Peyton could not believe that everything here was real. She never saw so many books about different dialects and contact languages of the world. The head of the Department of Linguistics ensured the girl that she would find a project that Peyton could participate in. For now, she could attend the lectures that were given by the Department staff. Peyton chose one she would attend on Mondays right away. It was an advanced class in Sociolinguistics and it was focused on the Southern dialects.

The first thing Peyton did after the class was calling her sisters to inform them that she loved the university and people there. She decided to stay in the area a little longer. She did not want to go back to the French Quarter that was obviously packed with creatures like Chris. The university neighborhood seemed safe and nice. Peyton grabbed some take away food at a local café and made herself comfortable at the grass near the windows of the Department of History.

She did not notice as her scarf that she took off before she would stain it with food was taken by the wind. A moment later she heard a voice behind her and it made her jump from her place.

"I'm sorry." A handsome brown-haired man stood in a couple of steps from her. "I figured it might be yours," her scarf in his outstretched hand.

"Yes, it is. Must be the wind," she said quietly. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," the stranger had beautiful smile and dark brown eyes that matched his hair, just as Peyton's, but her eyes were wide and naïve and his were narrower and seemed mischievous, although he was not smiling. The man gave her the scarf and turned to leave with a polite nod.

"Wait!" she heard her voice and was startled by her braveness. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course," the man turned to face her and she lost her breath when he showed her his devilishly charming smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Firstly, I know that canonically Kol is about 18-19 years old (right?), but for my story it would not work in the long run. Moreover, Nate Buzolic just doesn't look eighteen to me and Kol's character is too complex for being in a constant teenage stage. Let's assume that Kol was turned into a vampire when he was 21-22 or a little older. Peyton is 20 now. Prue is 27 and Piper is 24.

Secondly, as a linguist, I am a little bit suspicious about the Original family accents. I am not a native English speaker, but the way they speak seems to be very different, although that is not something you usually find in one family. But I should admit that people do not usually have hundreds of years to live on Earth, so a change of one's accent may be explained by the fact that they spent a hundred of years in Australia, or somewhere else, hiding from Mikael, or something like that. Anyway, I wanted to include this "accent issue" in my story, and I found a chance by making Peyton a major in linguistics – something I know about and, hopefully, I could play it out in the story.

I know the overall plot can be a little bit confusing for people who remember TO plot well, but I don't, so I kind of go with what I want for the story. I hope there are no contradictions inside this particular fic. Do not try to understand where the story is in terms of the TV show plot – it will probably not match. Ask questions if something is unclear and send me your critique.

* * *

" _May I ask you something?"_

" _Of course," the man turned to face her and she lost her breath when he showed her his devilishly charming smile._

"Your accent… I can't place it. Would you mind telling me where it is from?" Peyton never asked total strangers personal questions like that but she hated not knowing what sort of accent someone had. Curiosity killed a cat, they say?

"It is a long story. I have lived in many countries throughout my life. I can't really remember what my accent used to be when I was a child," a stranger said with a flash of sadness in his eyes that went unnoticed by Peyton as she was too busy trying to stay calm in front of a handsome man she had decided to ask such a stupid question. She told herself she should have not done that. It was too much for one day, Peyton thought, and she opened her month to apologize when the stranger stepped closer to her and said with a playful smirk: "I'm Kol. Nice to meet you."

"Peyton. Nice to meet you too."

She realized that she did not want to continue this conversation. The memories of the last night came fresh into her mind and Peyton decided that it was wiser to get back home before it got dark. She also did not want to make any more new acquaintances after what had happened with Chris. She was dying to find out what countries the guy, _Kol_ , lived at, but she also did not want literally _die_ to find out.

"I guess I should be going now," she said with an apologetic expression. "I am staying in a different part of the city and I don't want to miss dinner with my sisters."

"What part of city?"

"The French Quarter."

"I was heading to the French Quarter myself. I could show you the shortest way."

"I was thinking about taking a tram back. It would be probably faster."

"Indeed. But not nearly as satisfying as a pleasant walk," Kol's sweet but firm voice was compelling. Peyton could never resist another person's confidence when she had doubts about something. When she was determined, she was unstoppable. When she didn't know what to do, she wanted someone to help her make a decision. That is why she got along with Prue perfectly. "Let me help you."

Kol picked up her large jeans jacket with bead embroidery on the shoulders from the grass and helped her sink into it. Peyton flipped her long dark hair back over one shoulder and turned to face him. "Thank you." She picked up her backpack and threw the rest of the food into a trash can. Peyton looked at the clocks at the lamppost – 05:20 p.m. "I guess I still have a couple of hours left before the dinner starts. I am not the one who is supposed to cook it, anyway."

"You don't seem like a cooking type of girl," Kol laughed.

Peyton felt a little offended although that was true. "Cooking is overrated. I prefer having my brains busy, not my hands." She looked at Kol with a victorious look at her face. He was much taller than her, although Peyton was pretty tall herself. She never could explain why, but she liked tall people. They made her feel safe. She knew their father was tall. Peyton did not remember him, but Prue and Piper did. It must be very nice – have somebody tall and strong looking out for you.

In order to look Kol in the eyes she had to raise her chin and it made her think that she did not judge his age right when she saw him. His height and the way he hold himself at first indicated that he was much older than her, but now she could see that he was just as young as she was. His smile was not a smile of a grown-up man, but more a smile of a boy. It occurred to her that she could have seen this smile before but she could not remember where.

"I totally agree," Kol put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and proceeded to the alley that led out of the university campus. "Shall we?"

Peyton gave a hesitating sigh but nevertheless followed him. She could not meet another vampire in 24 hours, right? Besides, Kol seemed perfectly normal.

* * *

Prue just got back into the house from her temporary work at a new exhibition that was to open in a couple of weeks in New Orleans. She needed a break after the whole Rex-Hannah story at Buckland's and this opportunity seemed perfect. No more demons, no more work at Buckland's. No demons at work. No work with demons. She smiled to herself and shouted happily "Piper!". Her sister did not answer but her nose felt delicious smell coming from the kitchen. Piper was cooking with headphones on. She was almost flying across the kitchen and cooking something that made Prue's mouth water. Prue used her telekinesis to put out the headphones out of Piper's ears and met a terrified gaze of her sister. "Piper, relax! Sophie told us that our powers cannot be tracked down here."

Piper totally forgot about that. She breathed deeply a couple of times before she could go back to her nice mood.

"What's happened? I haven't seen you so calm in weeks." Something was certainly going on with her sister, Prue thought.

"Leo called," Piper could not hide her wide smile. "He is coming to New Orleans."

"What? You are not even official, are you? You kissed a couple of times, of course, but that's not a relationship yet…" Prue knew that Piper was not a kind of girl to rush into a new relationship. Especially not after the whole _Jeremy_ thing.

"That's not because of me. It turned out he has some business to take care of here, so he is going to spend some time in New Orleans."

Prue mumbled "Ok" but made a mental note to check on Leo. He seemed very sweet but coming to New Orleans right after the sisters arrived there was suspicious.

"We are going on a date!" Piper was so excited that Prue had to use her powers again to stop the pan from falling out of her sister's hands.

"That's wonderful, Piper! Just don't fry our kitchen with your excitement."

"How's your work? I hope as good as my personal life and Peyton's classes?" Piper seemed a different person when she was in a good mood. No more fear, no more panic and lots of smiling.

"I love the exhibition. I think it's going to be one of the best I've ever supervised," Prue thought the decision to come to New Orleans was one of the best choices they have made recently.

* * *

The weather that day was perfect for a walk. The wind played with Peyton's long brown hair and she had to push it back behind her ears from time to time. The rays of the setting sun played in her eyes and made them look more honey-like than brown. Her skin glowed and she was smiling all the way from the university. Normally, Peyton did not like to smile a lot. She thought that it made her face unattractive because she only had a glimpse at one side of her face but she forgot about it while she was walking beside Kol.

"Tsimane!"

"Moseten-Chonan language family. Spoken in Bolivia."

"No way you could know that! I only remember this one because I once made a report on it."

"I told you I majored in History and took some classes in Historical Linguistics. Moreover, I am just that smart," Kol winked and suddenly turned left into a small square. "I remember almost everything I've read. I also have to re-read things a lot. And I might have lived in Bolivia for a short period of time." Peyton did not know what to think. Kol did not seem much older than her but he has already seen half of the world. She started to feel a little envy and she suddenly wanted to change the topic.

"Is it really the shortest way?" Peyton asked when she saw the beautiful square with a tower in the middle.

"No." Kol looked at her with a smirk. "It is certainly much longer than going by tram."

"So, why are we here?" Peyton suddenly got nervous. Chris also took her to a square yesterday. Can it be a local vampire thing? Coming to an empty square and then killing young girls there? The last thing Peyton wanted was to get into trouble again.

"I want to show you something. Come on. My friend works in this café. We can go up there and have a cup of coffee." Kol raised his head looking at the top of the tower where the café should be. Peyton did not see it because of the sun but she decided she wanted to go up. Seeing New Orleans from the top – that's exactly something she would love to do.

Peyton tried to stay concentrated when they came into the dark hall of the tower but she relaxed when she saw tourists and staff inside. Kol showed her into a store with historical books and souvenirs and went to one of the desks.

"Good afternoon, sir! How can I help?" A blond guy with white teeth and a nice smile raised his head from the counter.

"You may help by making it seem like we are _friends_ , fellow." Kol's pupils dilated and his voice became very low but clear. "You will arrange us a table in a secluded part of the café on the top of the tower, find someone to take the order and then me and my companion shall be left alone".

"But sir, I don't think we have any places left…"

Kol narrowed his eyes and stared at the guy for a moment. It took the latter a couple of seconds before he went to the elevator in order to arrange the table for Kol and Peyton.

The young witch has just come back from the store with a book on the history of New Orleans.

"You shouldn't have bought this one. It is difficult to find a book that would tell the _real_ story of New Orleans." Peyton noticed a tone of contempt in Kol's voice. She realized that Kol must feel exactly what she felt when she saw all those _Linguistics for Dummies_ books.

"That's just for me to start. I should learn a couple of things about the city I'm going to stay at, shouldn't I?"

Peyton turned to the elevators ready to go upstairs and Kol silently followed.

" _You have no idea how many things you will learn here, darling."_ Kol thought to himself while he was watching the young witch as she was looking outside the glass wall of the elevator at the city before them. Peyton hold her breath and could not decide whether it was a dream or not. She was in New Orleans with a handsome guy by her side after a long but eventful day. This city must be perfect for her.

* * *

"What are you plotting, Niklaus?" Elijah stood at the balcony looking into the darkness of the woods surrounding their house.

"What do you mean?" The hybrid was inside the room but the brothers heard each other perfectly.

"What is your plan? Your course of action?"

"The one we have agreed upon. Marcel should be more careful. We should guide him the way. He is too young to try to take us down and it is not too late to become a family again."

"You should think about your child, Niklaus. _It_ is your family now."

"Marcel is also like a child to me. You should know that. Although you were the one to walk away from him, _I_ will not reject him. Let him play with his vampire army and his witch but in the end the city will be ours."

"Why are you helping witches? They have been of no use lately."

"They have not been of use because they are not powerful enough yet. When they complete whatever the ritual they are willing to complete, they will be very useful to us."

"We could rip the hearts of all Marcel's vampires in a second. We won't need witches to take control of the city."

"No, no, no. You don't see the whole picture, brother. We are not going to kill Marcel's little army. We are going to make it _our_ army. Let Marcel lead them. The witches, the vampires of New Orleans and Marcel – they all will have to listen to us and fight for the interest of _our_ family."

"What about the Charmed Ones? Should we try to convince them take _our_ side? They are willing to help the witches, not us. If it comes to choosing between the interest of witches and our interests, the Charmed will definitely choose their kind."

"That is exactly what I was thinking about, my dear brother."

"We should make them choose _us_. Let's invite them to a dinner before the witches tell them something that will not work in our favor. If Sophie tells them something about us, _anything,_ we may loose them and they would become our worst enemies."

"Everything is going according to my plan. Sophie will not say a thing until she gets what she wants. We will meet the Charmed Ones soon, dear brother."

"How soon?"

"When Kol charms the youngest. He has always found Halliwell witches and their magic fascinating. I'm not at all surprised he is currently chasing one of them. He has been careful, I must say. We should not have feared that he would ruin the plan."

"How do you know that? Kol always knows when someone is spying on him. And he is too unpredictable for something that important." Elijah did not like the way Klaus had changed his mind about letting Kol know the witches.

"He behaves himself and tries to play a good boy. And I did not have to send anyone to spy on him. All you need is ask a couple hundreds people what they've seen."

"Must be very boring and very time-consuming."

"Time-consuming – yes, but not boring, Elijah. Not when you get to drink their blood after each question," Niklaus said with a smile of an angel.


End file.
